Domers in the News

Published: Summer 2011

Hollywood actor William Mapother ’87, who is best known for his role as Ethan Rom in the popular ABC series Lost, stars in the independent film Another Earth, slated for release in July. He also co-stars in the soon-to-be-released A Warrior’s Heart and in FDR: American Badass. In addition to his acting career, Mapother is a founding partner of Slated.com, a film industry technology firm that developed a scheduling and ticketing program for festivals. . . . Nicole Farmer Hurd ’92, the founder and executive director of the National College Advising Corps, was recently featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams in the broadcast’s “Making a Difference” segment. The story profiled a number of high school students from Charlotte, North Carolina, and a National College Advising Corps adviser at the school. The goal of the program is to raise college enrollment and completion rates among low-income, first-generation college students. . . . Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel has named Evelyn Diaz ’92 as commissioner of the city’s Department of Family and Support Services. Formerly, Diaz served as deputy chief of staff for former mayor Richard M. Daley. Most recently Diaz has been CEO of the Chicago Workforce Investment Council, which works to improve workforce development programs. . . . Fox News personality Glenn Beck nominated Andrew Napolitano ’75J.D., a Fox News judicial analyst and former New Jersey superior court judge, as the man he’d like to see succeed him. Napolitano hosts the Fox Business talk show Freedom Watch. . . . Jimmy Brogan ’70, former chief writer on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, played the role of “the minister” in the hit comedy film Bridesmaids. . . . Emerson Spartz ’09, founder of the popular Harry Potter fan website mugglenet.com, has been sued by a 17-year-old business partner over ownership rights to the celebrity gossip and trivia twitter account @OMGFacts. According to the suit, Spartz agreed to develop the account, “taking it to the next level,” but in the process the plaintiff alleges Spartz deceived him into turning over rights to the account, which has more than 300,000 followers. The Notre Dame grad says his company, Spartz, Inc., has constructed a popular OMGFacts website and YouTube channel as well as writing nearly every tweet since February 2010. . . . Indiana Congressman Joe Donnelly ’77, ’81J.D. announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Richard Lugar. The Indiana Democrat decided to seek the Senate seat after the boundaries of his congressional district were redrawn, putting him, he believes, at a disadvantage. . . . Former Bengal Bouts champion Mike Lee ’10, who was featured in ESPN The Magazine in March, appeared on ESPN2’s “Friday Night Fights” in a bout from the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, which he won. . . . Another pro boxer, the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens safety and former Notre Dame All-American Tom Zbikowski ’07, was briefly suspended by the Chickasaw Nation Boxing Commission when he initially had a false-positive test for marijuana use after a bout at the tribe’s WinStar Casino in Oklahoma. A more comprehensive test cleared Zbikowski’s reputation, and he was quickly reinstated. The pro football player, who has a 4-0 pro fight record, had won a first-round knockout decision at the casino. . . . Tim Thayer ’10, another former Bengal Bouts champion, won the New York Golden Gloves 152 lb. weight class sub-novice title this year. In the process, Thayer raised money walkathon-style, seeking sponsors for Partners in Health, a nongovernmental organization that provides health care for the poor, primarily in Haiti. . . . Patrick Creadon ’89 directed an episode of the NBC murder mystery series Law and Order: SVU. The episode, entitled “Bombshell,” aired on March 23. . . . John M. Baumer ’90, a partner with the equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, has joined the board of directors of Rite Aid Corporation. . . . Keith Manville ’66, the former superintendent of schools in Saugus, Massachusetts, was recently named chairman of the board of the Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts. . . . Lieutenant Commander Daniel W. Cook ’96 was awarded the Society of American Military Engineers’ 2010 Moreell Medal, recognizing the naval officer’s leadership in Afghanistan, constructing more than 375 projects, including two large airfields, 28 deep aquifer water wells, several bridges and helicopter landing zones. . . . At the University of Mississippi’s commencement this year Beth Ann Fennelly ’93, who directs the Ole Miss creative writing program, was presented the Outstanding Teacher in the College of Liberal Arts award. . . . Terry Horan ’05MBA was recently named president and CEO of Robert Bosch Tool Corporation. . . . Scott Rodgers ’10, who was an All-American goalie on Notre Dame’s lacrosse team and now plays pro lacrosse with the outdoor MLL Toronto Nationals and the indoor NLL Minnesota Swarm, recently signed an endorsement deal with lacrosse equipment company Brine. . . . Daniel Deziel ’75 has been named chairperson of the Rush Medical College Department of General Surgery. . . . Bill Corrigan ’81 has been named to the board of directors of Old Newsboys Day, a St. Louis, Missouri, organization that raises funds for 250 area children’s charities. . . . Kenneth Meyer ’66, retired chairman and CEO of Lincoln Capital Management Co., donated $10 million to the University to fund fellowships for the MBA program. . . . Hubert “Hub” Schlafly ’41, the co-inventor of the teleprompter speech aid, died in April at the age of 91. Schlafly also developed the first “pay per view” system for cable TV. . . . Notre Dame football great Jim Seymour ’69, who was a favorite target of quarterback Terry Hanratty ’69 on the 1966 national championship team, died in March in suburban Chicago. . . . Domers go the extra mile for one another, quite literally. Just before Christmas break last year, Michael Hogan ’11 was involved in a car accident on I-75, south of Toledo. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured, but when he arrived home in North Carolina Hogan realized a laptop in his care with research data belonging to one of his professors apparently had been ejected through a shattered window. In an act of desperation, Hogan contacted the Notre Dame Club of Toledo and asked if any ND alums living near the accident scene could check the crash site. Laurae Rettig ’04 and a friend took on the challenge and amazingly found the missing laptop intact at the bottom of a 20-foot ditch near mile marker 186.